


'til the morning light

by eleanor_lavish



Category: Monsta X (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Anal Fingering, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Just Add Kittens, M/M, Mutual Pining, Overprotective Mom Friends, Soft Jeon Jungkook, Softer Shin Hoseok, one of these tags is not like the others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:51:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleanor_lavish/pseuds/eleanor_lavish
Summary: Instead, after pouring out his sad tale of yet another fuck-and-run date where Hoseok never even learned the guy’s last name, Hyunwoo is frowning at him over a plate of waffles (waffles! with syrup!). “Hoseok-ah, I think you should delete Tinder.”Hoseok blinks at him. “But Minhyuk spent, like, four hours setting up my profile.”Kihyun snorts from the kitchen, where he’s busily making another stack of waffles. Hyunwoo’s frown gets deeper. “Well, that explains a lot, actually. And now I want you to give me your phone so that I can delete your Tinder profile immediately, and possibly set your phone on fire.”Or, Hoseok goes on a lot of shitty dates and a handful of really nice ones. Too bad he doesn't know the nice ones are, you know, dates.





	'til the morning light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [misspamela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspamela/gifts).



> MissP, I know your birthday isn't for two days, but I also know you are IMPATIENT ABOUT FIC, so your gift is this fic, TWO DAYS EARLY. Have some gym rats in love. It's super soft and gross. You're welcome. You're also welcome for not naming this story "Holding Out for a Her(br)o" because that's just dumb, but know that is what I have been singing all evening.
> 
> A bazillion thanks to quietellen, my new friend, my old friend, my cheerleader and beta on this, especially since it all flew out of me in under 48 hours.
> 
> Here's to niche crossovers!!

Hoseok has been at work for six hours, and he’s already had two people no-show, and Mrs. Yang cried a little because she wasn’t meeting goals yet, which always makes _Hoseok_ almost cry. Anyway, it’s been six hours but it feels like nineteen, and Hoseok only has one more personal training client left today, and this one he’s been looking forward to all week. When he looks up from his clipboard, he smiles. There’s Jungkook, right on time, as always.

“Hey, Hoseok-hyung,” Jungkook says, pulling his towel a little tighter around his neck. He’s in a white t-shirt and black lycra shorts that go to his knees but do nothing to hide the strength of his thighs.

“Hey, Kook,” he says with a smile. Jungkook smiles back for a minute before his gaze turns back to his expensive sneakers. “You’ve been keeping up with your leg days?” 

“Ugh,” Jungkook says, “leg days are the worst,” but he’s still smiling. 

“Yeah, I know. How about we do some bis and tris today?” Jungkook beams at him - for some reason he loves arm days nearly as much as he hates leg days. Probably because his biceps have grown a noticeable few inches in the months he’s been working with Hoseok.

Being Jungkook’s trainer is kind of the best, but also kind of the worst. Because it’s Hoseok’s _job_ to look at Jungkook’s biceps and his thighs, and even his ass, if his brain keeps up the mantra of _glutes, glutes, you’re looking at the definition of his glutes_ while he does it. It’s not Hoseok’s job to look at Jungkook’s big eyes, or his sweet smile, and so he tries not to do that so often, but it’s _hard_.

Also, in the last month or so, Jungkook has started actually _talking_ to him, instead of shyly nodding along as Hoseok explained a new exercise, sometimes biting his lip in a way that made Hoseok’s stomach flutter. “Hey, so,” Jungkook says today at the end of his reps. The white cotton of his shirt is clinging to his shoulders, his hair curling damply at the nape of his neck. His gaze is somewhere over Hoseok’s shoulder, though, like he can’t quite meet Hoseok’s eyes. “Hyung, did you… maybe want to get a smoothie? I mean, since you’ve had a long day.”

Hoseok doesn’t think he’d mentioned his long-ass day during their session, but maybe he had? Either way, Hoseok’s stomach is definitely up for a smoothie. “Yeah, let’s do it!” he replies with an eager fist pump. Jungkook grins back at him. Hoseok has to stop finding him so adorable.

*

It’s nearly nine at night when Hoseok’s buzzer finally rings. He stands up, running his hand nervously through his hair. He’s put on a nice grey button-up shirt, just in case they end up going out to eat, though with it being so late he’s rapidly thinking that isn’t going to happen. He sighs at his reflection in the mirror next to the door. 

When he opens it, the guy on the other side is a little shorter than he’d said in his profile, and his hair is different. It doesn’t throw Hoseok off as much as it used to, the way guys would just casually lie about themselves online, or use old photos. He doesn’t do that because it feels like cheating, but he guesses it’s okay as long as they’re not too far off from the photos in person. This guy is still nice-looking, with broad shoulders and hair that’s slicked back from his face. Hoseok smiles at him. “Hi, I’m Hoseok.” 

“Wow,” the guy says, raking his eyes over Hoseok’s arms and his chest and down, lower. Hoseok doesn’t blush as much as he used to either, but it’s still weird. “You’re super hot,” he adds, not even really looking at Hoseok’s face. It’s… nice, he guesses. He works hard on his body, treats it well, and it’s - it’s good that people appreciate it. 

“Are you still hungry?” Hoseok asks, because that’s what they were doing when Hoseok swiped on him earlier in the evening - talking about how it was late, and they hadn’t had dinner, and maybe they could have dinner together?

“Let’s order in,” the guy says with a wink, and Hoseok bites back another sigh. 

“Sure,” he says, plastering on a smile. “Come on in.”

*

“That is so super weird,” Jungkook is laughing, but his laugh isn’t mean. It’s kind of adorable, the way his nose scrunches up. Hoseok laughs with him. Jungkook was somehow Hoseok’s last client of the day again, and instead of smoothies, they opted for the burrito place across the street from the gym. Hoseok likes literally all of the fillings they have, so he always asks for all five of them at once in his giant burrito bowl. “Does it… taste okay?”

“I mean, jerk chicken is good, steak is good, pulled pork is good, so…” Hoseok sticks his fork in the bowl and stabs a few random pieces of meat. He holds out the fork toward Jungkook’s mouth “You want to try it?”

“Y-yeah, okay,” Jungkook says, leaning in and taking the bite from Hoseok’s fork. His cheeks are pink, probably from the hundred burpees Hoseok had tortured him with at the end of the workout. “Oh wow, ‘s good,” he mumbles around a mouthful of meat, and Hoseok whoops with glee. Jungkook turns back to his own burrito, smiling a little as he takes a big bite, and Hoseok can see that the pink of his cheeks trails all the way down his neck.

“Tell me more about your birthday,” Hoseok says, because it turns out last week was Jungkook’s birthday, and his friends made him do a scavenger hunt for his gifts.

“Oh, um, well it turned out that Jimin had gotten Yoongi-hyung and Namjoon-hyung to write all the hints, so they all _rhymed_. It was great, but also the third one took me forever to get.”

“Where did you end up with that one?”

“The public library.”

“What did you have to do at the library?” Hoseok leans leans his chin on his fist, watching as Jungkook turns an even brighter shade of pink.

“I had to uh, ask for a book that had the next clue in it,” he manages, squirming a little in his chair, and Hoseok giggles.

“I kind of figured. What book?”

“The, um,” Jungkook bites his lip. “Art of Tantric Sex for Beginners?”

Hoseok laughs hard enough that he has to put his head down on the table. “Your friends are almost as bad as mine,” he says.

“Oh yeah? What’s the worst thing they ever made you do?” Jungkook asks, challenging. 

“One time Minhyuk decided we should all have a group Halloween costume as the cast of Gilligan’s Island. They made me be Mary Ann, in the short shorts and the crop top, and _pigtails_ ,” he says, squinting his eyes shut in embarrassment from the memory. They open again as Jungkook chokes on a bite of his burrito.

“Oh, wow, that… must have been something,” he says, still coughing into the crook of his arm. “I wish I could have seen that,” he adds, pinker than ever from the coughing.

“I mean, Kihyun says he deleted the pictures, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t,” Hoseok sighs. “Maybe if you manage ninety kilos on your next round of leg presses, I’ll show you.”

“Deal,” Jungkook says, so fast that Hoseok laughs again.

*

“Hey, Lee, right?” 

The guy hums in acknowledgement from across the room as he pulls on his jeans. They’d landed nearly on top of Hoseok’s potted plant when Lee threw them earlier in the evening. Hoseok is still naked, propped on one elbow in his bed, and he’s glad to see the plant doesn’t look any worse for wear.

“You, uh, you could stay for a bit if you wanted? It’s only ten.”

It was an okay date - they actually met at a ramyeon place before ending up at Hoseok’s, and he hadn’t called Hoseok ‘daddy’ one time the entire night - so Hoseok thinks maybe they could eat some ice cream and cuddle on the couch and watch Terrace House. 

“I’ve got a lot of work to do for the office tomorrow,” Lee says, fishing his shirt from behind Hoseok’s armchair. He buttons it with efficiency, which is impressive considering how hard he’s staring at Hoseok’s chest. “But if you’re ever up for another round, hit me up,” he winks, and Hoseok bites the inside of his cheek. 

“Yeah, sure,” he manages, but he knows that ‘another round’ means just this part, not the ramyeon or the flirting by text parts, and definitely not the ice cream and Terrace House part. 

Once Lee is gone, he gets up and pulls on a pair of sweatpants. He’s used to ice cream and Terrace House by himself, it’s not _bad_ , it’s just - it’s the way it is, with dating guys. It’s a lesson well-learned. He lets himself have an extra scoop, and dusts it with peanut butter protein powder to make himself feel better.

*

“Hey, hyung?” Jungkook’s bent nearly in half, rubbing at his wet hair with a towel. They’re in the locker room at the gym, and Hoseok is still trying to decide which shirt to wear for their post-session snack this time. 

“Yeah, Kook?”

“There’s, uh, a new cafe a few blocks down, if you wanted to try it out with me?” His voice is muffled by the towel, and Hoseok wonders how long he’s going to be bent over like that - his hair can’t be _that_ wet. But it does give Hoseok a really nice view of his ass - his _glutes_ \- so he’s not complaining. 

“Yeah, sounds nice,” he replies, finally deciding on a black t-shirt with ‘Miley, What’s Good?’ written on the front. He’s not entirely sure who Miley is, but Changkyun was very insistent that it was a Good Shirt, so he wears it pretty often.

Jungkook finally stands up, his face bright red and his hair still damp. Hoseok’s heart skitters a little, and he thumps himself a few times in the chest to get it to stop. Jungkook blinks at him, biting his lip again. “So, cafe?” Hoseok prompts, mostly to get Jungkook to stop doing that.

“Right, yes!” They both grab their gym bags and head outside into the sunshine. It’s a nice walk - four or five blocks south and another one east of the gym, so definitely out of the way enough that Hoseok would never have found this place on his own. When Jungkook stops in front of the cafe, Hoseok’s whole body starts to thrum with happiness.

“Is this… a _cat cafe_?” Hoseok whispers.

“Yeah, it’s… I mean, I know you said once that you couldn’t have a cat in your building, and you seemed bummed about it, so I thought - is this okay?” Jungkook’s voice sounds really worried, and Hoseok realizes it’s probably because he’s already tearing up a little.

“It’s _kittens_ ,” he says, grabbing Jungkook’s hand and pulling them inside. “It’s _perfect_.” Jungkook smiles brightly at him, and then at the floor. Hoseok would find it incredibly distracting if not for the fact that a chubby tabby cat has started winding its way through Hoseok’s legs. “Oh my god, how are you so _cute?_ he gasps, and Jungkook looks up at him, startled. “Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen, in your entire _life_?” he asks, picking up the cat gently and cradling it in the crook of his arm.

“Yeah, that’s. Yes,” Jungkook says, and his voice sounds weird. Maybe he’s a little allergic to cats? Hoseok won’t hold that against him.

“You, um, really like animals,” Jungkook says an hour later. They are sitting on the floor of the cafe, and Hoseok has three cats climbing all over him and a smile so big it feels like it’s going to sprain his face.

“I really do,” he laughs, and Jungkook laughs with him. Jungkook has a black kitten curled up on his knee, fast asleep.

“I think my leg is asleep,” he murmurs a few minutes later, “but I don’t want to move and wake her up.”

“Wise choice,” Hoseok nods, because he’s been sitting through ten minutes of tiny needle kitten claws in his back as the boldest of the kittens tries to climb him like a tree. “Sometimes we must make sacrifices for the greater good.”

Jungkook smiles at him again, the wide one that shows off all his perfect teeth. “Hey so - have you been to the zoo in a while?”

“No,” Hoseok sighs wistfully, “My friends aren’t really nature people.”

“Oh, well, my family has a membership, and I thought if you wanted to go -”

“Yes, oh my god, let’s do it,” Hoseok says before he can even finish his sentence. The zoo! Where there are tigers and otters and a whole area where you can _feed the goats_!

“Oh, okay,” Jungkook looks startled, but happy. “Um, Saturday?”

“I have an eight-hour shift this Saturday,” Hoseok says with a frown. “Next Saturday maybe?”

“Yeah, yes. Okay.” Jungkook leans forward and plucks the bold kitten from the top of Hoseok’s shoulder. He’s close enough that Hoseok can see his eyelashes, long and pretty around his wide brown eyes. “Um,” Jungkook says, blinking. Hoseok blinks back for a moment before wincing at the feeling of tiny needles in his knee. 

“I think she’s awake,” he says ruefully, as Jungkook’s kitten claws her way into Hoseok’s lap.

“Yeah,” Jungkook replies, sitting back and stretching out his leg. They stay for another hour before the cafe staff hustles them out at closing.

*

It’s nine am and Hoseok is already having a pretty shitty day. It makes sense, since he already had a pretty shitty night, but he came over to Kihyun and Hyunwoo’s place for a shoulder to cry on and a protein-rich breakfast, and he currently has _neither_. Instead, after pouring out his sad tale of yet another fuck-and-run date where Hoseok never even learned the guy’s last name, Hyunwoo is frowning at him over a plate of waffles (waffles! with syrup!). “Hoseok-ah, I think you should delete Tinder.”

Hoseok blinks at him. “But Minhyuk spent, like, four hours setting up my profile.”

Kihyun snorts from the kitchen, where he’s busily making another stack of waffles. Hyunwoo’s frown gets deeper. “Well, that explains a lot, actually. And now I want you to give me your phone so that I can delete your Tinder profile immediately, and possibly set your phone on fire.”

“But -” 

“Babe,” Hyunwoo is saying now, his frown softening into that face he gets that shows he’s worried, with the little line between his eyebrows. “How many dates have you gotten off this profile?”

“I don’t know,” Hoseok shrugs. “A lot?”

“More than five? More than ten?”

“Yeah, probably more than ten.” It’s actually more like twenty, but Hyunwoo’s face is not encouraging Hoseok to be forthcoming about that right now.

“And how many of those dates were actual dates, and how many were just hookups?”

“I mean -” Hoseok is blushing now because he _tried_ to make them dates, but most of them were just hookups, and it sucks to realize that he’s just not the kind of guy people want to _date_. 

“Just… no more Tinder dates for a while, okay?” Hyunwoo says, gentle and nice and a little forceful, like he always is, and Hoseok finds himself nodding in agreement. 

“What about Grindr?” he asks. Hyunwoo thumps his head on the table as Kihyun yells “FUCKING NO!” from the kitchen. 

So, okay. No dating for a while. Hoseok can get behind that - he’s pretty tired of shitty dates too.

*

The following Saturday, Hoseok finds himself watching the penguins wistfully. He and Jungkook have been at the zoo for nearly an hour, and have seen the elephants and the hyenas, and the five minutes of the reptile house that they had managed before Jungkook had said “why didn’t you _tell me_ you were scared of snakes?” and hustled them outside. Now they’ve drifted over to the area with the sea lions and the penguins. It’s mating season, and the penguin house guide is excitedly telling visitors that their mated pair has laid an egg! Hoseok is so happy for them - it’s their third egg, and they’ve been mated for _five years_ \- but he also just feels shitty that these cute penguins have found true love, and he hasn’t.

“I wish I wasn’t on a break from dating,” he sighs. They’re seated on the benches outside the water enclosure, close enough that Hoseok can feel Jungkook’s powerful thigh (he’s really proud of those thighs) pressed against his, and he can feel when Jungkook goes deathly still beside him.

“Um, what?”

Hoseok rubs his hand over his face in embarrassment. “I mean, it’s not my idea, but my best friend says I shouldn’t be dating for a while.”

“Um… okay?” Jungkook moves away from him, and the cold air from the penguin enclosure rushes in and makes the skin on his legs get goosebumps. “I’m… sorry. Did I… do something wrong?”

Jungkook sounds wretched, like he’s about to cry. Hoseok, of all people, knows what that voice sounds like. When Hoseok looks over, Jungkook is staring at his shoes, blinking hard. “Kook, what -” but when he reaches out to put his hand on Jungkook’s arm, Jungkook shies away.

“I mean, I know they weren’t _fancy_ places, or whatever, but. I thought you were having a nice time? If you didn’t want to come today, you could have said, you didn’t have to -”

“Whoa, what are you talking about?” Hoseok turns on the bench so he’s facing Jungkook directly, and can see how tense he is, the muscles in his shoulders bunching, his hands clenched in fists in his lap.

“If you aren’t going on dates anymore, then why are you even _here_?” Jungkook asks, and Hoseok feels all the air go out of his lungs all at once. 

“Kook, is this… a date?” he asks slowly, looking from Jungkook to the penguins to the empty little bag of corn in Jungkook’s hand that they’d bought together to feed the goats. Jungkook looks over at him, eyes wide.

“Oh god, you didn’t - this wasn’t - oh my _god_ ,” he says again, and his voice sounds even worse now, muffled by the palms of his hands as he hides his face. 

Hoseok’s heart rate is spiking. He thinks back to the cat cafe, to the burrito place, the smoothies they shared. “Have - have these all been dates?”

“No, forget about it, totally not dates,” Jungkook is saying into his hands. His ears are bright pink, and his hair is falling into his face, and Hoseok reaches out to push it back over his forehead. Jungkook whimpers a little, shying away again. 

“No, don’t,” Hoseok wraps his hand around Jungkook’s elbow. “I’m not… it’s okay, that they were dates,” he says, and wow, his heart is really starting to give him a workout. “It’s… good. I just didn’t…” he slides his hand up Jungkook’s arm to his hand, gently pulling it away from his face. “Hey, I’m so sorry I’m dumb, please don’t be mad at me,” he pleads, twining their fingers together. Jungkook looks up at him through his lashes. “Wow, you are so pretty,” he says, because it’s true, and he’s wanted to say it for a while, and because apparently he’s been dating Jungkook since August and didn’t know.

“You don’t have to make me feel better,” Jungkook mumbles, looking at where their hands are twined together. He’s blushing, is what that is - all the pretty pink that Hoseok loves so much on Jungkook’s skin. He’s _blushing_ around Hoseok, like, all the time.

“I’m so dumb,” Hoseok says again, and Jungkook huffs.

“Stop saying that, hyung, you’re not dumb. I’m just… bad at dates, I guess.”

“No,” Hoseok says, “I’m the one who is super bad at dates. I only go on bad ones, so I didn’t know what a good one looked like.”

Jungkook snorts. “Seriously?”

“I really, really wish that wasn’t true,” Hoseok sighs, and Jungkook finally looks at him.

“What idiots have been taking you on bad dates?” 

“Guys online. They don’t really take me on dates as much as, you know,” Hoseok replies, and now it’s his turn to blush. “They don’t really seem to want to go _out_ with me as much as stay in.”

“Oh, that’s,” Jungkook is watching him now, with those wide eyes, and Hoseok feels like maybe he shouldn’t have said all that, but, “that’s a fucking travesty. I want to take you out all the time.”

“To the cat cafe?” Hoseok says, smiling slowly.

“And to the burrito place,” Jungkook smiles back at him, squeezing his hand. “And the smoothie bar.”

“Can’t forget the smoothie bar,” Hoseok nods seriously. Jungkook finally laughs a little, still holding on tight to his hand. He’s so, so nice, Hoseok thinks, and so pretty, and so strong. He thinks about his time with Jungkook, the way he’s always on time for sessions, and always asks Hoseok about his day, and always looks so, so hot, even when he deadlifts. The way his shirt sticks to his abs at the end of a workout. They way he’s looking at Hoseok right now, shy and sweet and like he maybe wants to kiss him. “Hey do you want to go back to my place, maybe?” he asks, his throat suddenly dry, because if this is a date, he really wants to get to the kissing part, but not in front of the penguins.

Jungkook’s mouth is a perfect ‘o’ of surprise. “I mean, yes? But we haven’t seen the tigers yet?”

Hoseok’s heart feels like it’s going to explode. He’s pretty sure his smile can be seen from space. “That is a very good point. Tigers first, then my place.”

“Okay,” Jungkook laughs and tugs him to his feet. “Okay.”

*

They actually spend another two hours at the zoo, because they see the tigers and then are just in time for the birds of prey show, and then they pass by the otters at feeding time. Hoseok enjoys every second of the animals, but he also enjoys every second of holding Jungkook’s hand. It’s like now that he knows he can touch Jungkook, he really doesn’t want to stop. Jungkook keeps smiling at him too, and squeezing his hand, and giving him bites of his giant pretzel from the concession stand.

It’s a date. It’s a real date. And he knows he promised Hyunwoo no more dates, but somehow he doesn’t think his friends would mind this one.

It’s nearly time for dinner when they’re finally back at Hoseok’s. Jungkook toes out of his shoes and stands awkwardly in the living room as Hoseok does the same. He’s looking around at the room - the comfy grey couch that Hoseok got from his brother, the framed photos on the wall that Hyungwon took when he was on his term abroad in Italy, the piles of video games that Hoseok keeps around for when Minhyuk and Jooheon come over and hang out. Jungkook stops at a set of pictures tacked to the wall, all taken with Jooheon’s ancient polaroid camera. “Are these your friends?” he asks.

“Yeah, that’s them,” Hoseok replies. He leans a little on Jungkook, tucks his chin on his shoulder to point them all out. “That’s Hyunwoo,” he says. 

“The Skipper,” Jungkook says with a grin, because Kihyun _hadn't_ deleted all the pictures, and Hoseok was true to his word. “And Ginger,” he says, pointing to Jooheon with his bright red hair. Hoseok laughs. 

“Please, please only call him that,” he says gleefully, and when Jungkook turns his head, their noses brush. It’s… a lot, the feelings that wash over Hoseok in that moment, but mostly they are warm and sweet, just like the kiss Jungkook gives him, slow and steady and really, really nice. 

Jungkook turns in his arms, and Hoseok pulls him closer, slides his tongue over Jungkook’s lower lip until he gasps. “Hyung, please,” he breathes, and just like that the kisses get deeper, wetter. 

They take a few stumbling steps to the couch and Hoseok slides onto it gracefully, pulling Jungkook down on top of him with an arm around his neck. Jungkook groans deep in his chest, and Hoseok shivers. He knows Jungkook’s body by this point - knows all his muscles and his tender spots and how much pressure it can take. But he hadn’t known the _weight_ of it, pressing Hoseok into the cushions, their hips sliding together as Hoseok kisses him more, and more, and more.

They kiss for a long time, and Hoseok would normally have moved on to taking off his clothes by now, but Jungkook has twined their fingers together again, and keeps making sad little noises whenever Hoseok tries to pull away. He does manage to twist one leg up so Jungkook can get friction against his thigh as they roll together in waves. They’re still kissing, but Jungkook’s kisses are more like pants after a while, his dick a hard, hot line on Hoseok’s thigh even through all their clothes. “Kook-ah,” Hoseok murmurs, nipping at Jungkook’s throat as his hips press down. “Fuck, Kook-ah, you’re so gorgeous.”

“Stop, oh my god, stop,” Jungkook says, pulling back quickly. Hoseok freezes.

“What, I’m sorry,” he says reflexively, and Jungkook groans and thwacks him in the arm. 

“No, don’t be sorry, it’s just, I got really close there,” he says, still breathing hard and holding his body away from Hoseok’s. Hoseok takes a moment to be proud of the way Jungkook’s delts are straining through his shirt before blinking up at him.

“That’s okay,” Hoseok says. “I mean, that’s a good thing, right?”

“No, that’s… yeah,” Jungkook says, shaking his head. He glances down, his eyes fixed on Hoseok’s shoulder. “I mean, I want to come, but I don’t want to come _like this_. I had a whole plan, where I’d take you out to a nice dinner, and maybe light some candles, and I was making a playlist and… oh no, oh shit, what did I do?”

Hoseok turns to hide his face in the crook of his arm. He can feel the tears seeping through the fabric. “Nothing, no, I’m sorry,” he says again, his voice hoarse.

“Oh my god, please talk to me,” Jungkook says, and he sounds a little frantic. 

“It’s just, nobody ever really wants to do the dinner part,” Hoseok manages, and fuck, can he sound any more pathetic, breathing hard to try to stave off any more stupid tears. “It’s nice. You’re nice.”

“Fuck, Hoseok,” Jungkook says, his voice cracking a little, and suddenly Hoseok is covered in Jungkook again, his whole weight bearing down into a giant hug as Jungkook snuggles him close, presses soft kisses to his cheek, his forehead. “You went on some really fucking awful dates. I think if I ever meet any of these dudes, I’m going to have to beat the shit out of them.”

“You’ll have to get in line behind Hyunwoo,” Hoseok hiccups, and Jungkook smiles into his hair and pulls him in closer. 

“Tell you what,” he says, wriggling around a little to pull his phone out of his back pocket. “I’m going to order some fried chicken and we’re going to spoon on your couch and watch bad TV until it gets here, okay?”

“Fried chicken isn’t -”

“Shh, stop, it’s a fried chicken sort of emergency. Both the garlic and spicy kinds.”

“Okay,” Hoseok says quietly finally peeking out of the crook of his arm. “Add two orders of edamame, though.”

“Okay, you health nut, also edamame,” Jungkook laughs, and slides over so he’s pressed against the back of Hoseok’s sofa, one arm under Hoseok’s head and the other thrown over his waist, busily typing with just his thumb.

“And a dozen potstickers,” Hoseok adds as an afterthought, and Jungkook just snuggles him harder.

And that’s… it. They snuggle, and watch game shows, and when the chicken arrives they eat literally all of it, and Jungkook leans over to kiss him a few dozen times, but it never ramps back up to the intensity of earlier. Hoseok worries that maybe he really did fuck it all up, by being a weirdo crying man who can’t handle nice things. But as Jungkook is pulling on his track jacket, he fiddles with the zipper for a long moment before looking up at Hoseok and clearing his throat.

“So, dinner? Maybe Friday? There’s this Italian place that my friend Jin won’t shut up about -”

“Yeah, yes,” Hoseok cuts in, and Jungkook smiles at him. 

“Okay, cool. And then after, if you want, we could go to my place? Only if you want.”

Hoseok is very much not going to cry again, so he just nods. Jungkook kisses him once more, a sweet lingering thing, cupping Hoseok’s face in his hands, and then he’s slipping out the door.

Hoseok falls onto his couch and lets out a muffled scream into his cushions. He has a _date_ on Friday!

*

The next week goes by super slowly. Hoseok goes to work and goes to the grocery store and goes home. 

He only sees Jungkook once during the week, in the middle of Wednesday afternoon when Jungkook comes in for his training session. It’s perfectly fine for about ten minutes, other than the way they keep giggling and looking away from each other, but it’s an arm day again. When Jungkook lays down on the bench to lift weights and Hoseok stands at the top, ready to spot his reps, Jungkook stares directly at Hoseok’s spandex-clad dick six inches above his head, and he just sits back up and says “Um, maybe some sled pulls instead?” His face is bright red, and it takes literally everything in Hoseok not to kiss him right there. Some sled pulls, some deadlifts, and two hundred burpees at the end (“You’re a sadist, good to know,” Jungkook pants half-way through them), and they finally get through the hour doing nothing that could get Hoseok fired. Jungkook drinks half a bottle of water before handing it over to Hoseok, his fingers lingering on Hoseok’s wrist. 

“See you Friday,” he says.

“Friday,” Hoseok grins back at him, and then Mrs. Yang is back, waving him down with one bony hand. Jungkook slips off to the showers and Hoseok can’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

When he’s not at work, he spends eighty percent of his free time on his phone, but instead of Tinder, he’s spending it texting with Jungkook or talking to Jungkook, or, on Friday, counting down the hours until his date with Jungkook.

 _What should I wear?I?_ , he texts on Friday morning.

 _Something nice,_ Jungkook replies, complete with three heart emojis and a top hat emoji.

Hoseok does not own anything approaching a top hat, but he does have the blue pinstripe suit he wore to his cousin’s wedding the year before. It’s a little snug in the thighs, but otherwise it fits well, and he throws on a crisp white button down underneath. He’s not sure about a tie - he’s not really a tie person, but what if it’s one of those places that won’t seat you without a tie? - and he’s still fretting about it when his buzzer goes off.

He swings the door open with the tie still in his hand. “Do I need to wear a - wow,” he trails off because Jungkook is on the other side of the door in a sleek black suit with a wine-red shirt made from some shimmery material underneath. The jacket pulls tight across his shoulders and nips in at his waist, and the shirt is open at the collar, just one button. He looks so good Hoseok’s mouth starts to water. “No tie required then. Damn you look good,” he finishes, and Jungkook blushes. 

“Y-you too,” he stammers. “That blue is really good on you.”

They both just stand there in Hoseok’s living room for a long moment, long enough that Hoseok wonders if dinner dates are overrated, and if maybe he should just suggest they order in and let Hoseok slowly undo every button on that shimmery shirt. But then Jungkook is shaking his head and saying, “We should go - the reservation,” and Hoseok lets himself be led out of the apartment.

The restaurant is fancy - fancier than anywhere Hoseok’s been in a while. Jungkook seems to be a little overwhelmed by the wine list, though his friend Jin gave him recommendations about the dinner menu. Hoseok just lets him order for the both of them - he’s not the pickiest of eaters, and he’s worried he’d mispronounce something in front of the waiter. It’s a good date, just like dates he’s seen in movies, and he and Jungkook smile at each other over giant plates of pasta, trying not to talk too loudly as some Italian opera plays in the background. Jungkook talks about school, and about how he’s still not positive he’s picked the right major. He’s been majoring in computer science, but he really likes his art and photography electives. “I should connect you with Hyungwon,” Hoseok tells him, twirling his fettucini on his fork. “He did a post-grad internship in photography, maybe he can give you some advice.”

“Thanks, hyung, that would be great,” Jungkook nods earnestly, and Hoseok is glad, not for the first time, that he has such interesting friends. 

Eventually, they get through the pasta and even split a dessert - a creme brulee that cracks beautifully when Hoseok hits it with the back of his spoon. Jungkook makes a literal dive for the check when it comes, looking at Hoseok with wild eyes, like he’s going to try to pay. Hoseok just grins and puts his hands up in surrender. “Next time is my treat, then,” he says, and Jungkook flushes faintly.

“Next time,” he repeats quietly.

“So,” Hoseok says as they’re walking out of the restaurant, “your place, or,” 

“Actually,” Jungkook says, slowing down and scuffing his shoe on the sidewalk, and Hoseok’s stomach swoops. He knows he wasn’t that interesting a dinner companion tonight - too nervous about which fork to use, and worried about spilling red wine on his white shirt - and now maybe he’s lost Jungkook’s interest. “I mean, that was really nice, but it was, like, a little more formal than I was hoping?” 

 

Hoseok just nods stiffly, and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“I checked my phone while you were in the bathroom and the cat cafe is open for another hour if you want to -”

“Oh my god, yes,” Hoseok blurts out, wrapping Jungkook in a hug. Jungkook laughs against his shoulder. 

“Okay, I already called for a cab.”

“What if I’d said no?” Hoseok says, eyes wide in surprise.

Jungkook just blinks at him.

“Okay, fair,” Hoseok concedes.

*

The cat cafe is even more fun this time around, when Hoseok _knows_ it’s a date. He manages to buy two coffees from the counter while Jungkook is claiming a corner table, and he feels triumphant as he brings them to the table and hears Jungkook’s indignant, “Hey, tonight was my treat, you jerk!”

“You said next time, not next night,” Hoseok says primly, and Jungkook hits him on the shoulder before leaning in and kissing him lightly on the mouth. “Oh,” Hoseok breathes, and Jungkook leans back.

“Sorry, was that okay?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok says. “That was very nice.”

“Good, okay,” Jungkook says, picking up his coffee with a small smile.

It’s an adoption center as well as a cat cafe, so they aren’t surprised when they’re told that that the kittens from last time aren’t there anymore. But the chubby tabby cat is still there, pressing his face to Hoseok’s slacks, and Hoseok scoops him up again and sighs happily when he feels the cat purr against his chest. They sit in the cafe for the whole hour as the place empties out around them, just talking about movies and video games and people at the gym and Jungkook’s friends and Hoseok’s friends. It’s easy and nice, especially as cats jump onto and off of their table, sniffing their coffee mugs and begging for scritches behind their ears. The tabby stays curled up on Hoseok’s legs the whole time, a warm purring weight on his lap. He’s petting the cat absently with one hand, telling some silly story about the dog he had as a kid, when Jungkook reaches over and takes his other hand. Hoseok goes quiet, just looking at their hands together on the table.

“I really, really like you,” Jungkook says, looking at Hoseok’s hand and not his face. “I just,” he runs his thumb over the back of Hoseok’s knuckles, “I hope this was a nice date for you.”

“This was the best date of my life,” Hoseok tells him seriously, and Jungkook looks up, smirking in disbelief. “No, honestly,” Hoseok tells him. “There is literally nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Nowhere, huh?” Jungkook asks, his fingers twining with Hoseok’s, and Hoseok’s mouth suddenly goes dry. 

“I mean, one other place, maybe,” he adds.

“Only if you want to,” Jungkook says softly, and Hoseok needs to get them to Jungkook’s apartment _immediately_. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Buttons,” he says somberly to the cat in his lap. “I’m very sorry to move you, but I have to go to Mr. Jungkook’s place now.” Jungkook laughs, his eyes bright.

*

Jungkook shares his apartment with two of his friends, Jimin and Taehyung, but he assures Hoseok that they are “out for the night at Yoongi-hyungs, no worries, we have the whole place to ourselves.”

Hoseok was expecting a messy college apartment, but Jungkook’s place is surprisingly neat and tidy. “No thanks to Jimin,” he laughs when Hoseok points it out. “His and Tae’s room is a disaster.”

“Not yours?” Hoseok asks, and Jungkook flushes. 

“Um, I should just… check. Hold on,” he calls over his shoulder and disappears down the hall, leaving Hoseok alone in the living room. It’s cozy and nice, with some comfy-looking video game chairs and a few extra laptops scattered around that are probably Jungkook’s from what he was telling Hoseok about his coding classes. “Okay, you can come on back,” Jungkook calls, and Hoseok follows his voice down the short hallway. “Hi,” Jungkook says from the doorway. He’s taken off his jacket and his shirtsleeves are shimmery in the dim lights from his room. When Hoseok walks in, he can see that the bed is made, with navy blue sheets and freshly fluffed white pillows. There is soft music coming from the speakers on his desk, some sort of low R&B that Hoseok doesn’t recognize. And the reason Jungkook’s shirt is extra shimmery is that he’s got a whole set of candles on the windowsill, flickering lights that dance off the large mirror on the back of the closet. 

“Oh,” Hoseok says, suddenly overcome. 

“I know it’s cheesy,” Jungkook wrinkles his nose, “but I promised dinner and candles and -”

Hoseok can’t help it, he reels Jungkook in with an arm around his waist and kisses him soundly. When he pulls back, Jungkook’s mouth is still open, wet and inviting. “What do you want to do?” Jungkook asks. 

“Everything. Anything,” Hoseok replies, and he means it. But Jungkook groans in frustration.

“Okay, what do you want that you usually don’t get to? What did those other assholes not do that would have made the dates better?”

 _You already did all of that,_ Hoseok thinks, but Jungkook seems to want a real answer, so he lets himself think about it. “Just… if you’d keep kissing me? While we do… other stuff?” And it sounds so cheesy coming out of his mouth that Hoseok feels himself blushing, but Jungkook just groans and leans in to kiss him again, both arms coming up to wind around Hoseok’s neck. Just like the last time, the kisses just go on and on and on, but unlike the last time, Jungkook keeps them moving in the direction of the bed, pushing Hoseok’s jacket off his shoulders, unbuttoning his shirt, letting Hoseok pull Jungkook’s shirt from his slacks and slide his hands up his smooth back. 

By the time they fall into bed, they’re down to their underwear, and Hoseok’s mouth is tingling from all the kissing. Jungkook ends up half on top of him, his hands wandering over Hoseok’s shoulders, his biceps, his pecs. Hoseok gives as good as he gets, finally able to wrap his hands around Jungkook’s arms and feel the shift of muscles under his skin. When his thumb slides over Jungkook’s nipple, he grunts a little into Hoseok’s mouth, surprised. “Hey,” Hoseok says, and his voice is already a little wrecked just from all the kissing. It’s awesome. “What were you thinking, here?” He slides one hand down Jungkook’s back and gets a good handful of his ass through his briefs.

“Um,” Jungkook stiffens in his arms, and Hoseok frowns a little. 

“Kook?”

“I don’t, um. I’ve only done this a few times, and mostly I’m the bigger guy so people just… assume that I’ll fuck them? But, I mean, if you want to do it the other way…that would be okay.” He’s blushing a beautiful shade of pink by now, and Hoseok kisses his cheek and his ear and his shoulder until Jungkook laughs and pulls away.

“Is that what you thought when you first saw me? ‘He’s a big guy, he can give me what I want?’” Hoseok remembers the first time Jungkook came to a session with him, how he stammered and stumbled over his words.

“No!” Jungkook tells him, eyes wide. “I mean… maybe a little, but only before I got to know you! I don’t want to assume anything -”

“Have you ever bottomed?” Hoseok asks him, and Jungkook buries his face in Hoseok’s chest.

“How can you just _say_ that?” he groans. 

Hoseok tilts his head. “I guess I don’t get embarrassed by this stuff anymore? I mean, the sex was always the part of dates that wasn’t a total disaster for me.”

“Fuck, I hate all of those dudes you dated so much,” Jungkook says vehemently before resting his chin on Hoseok’s chest and spider-walking his fingers over Hoseok’s abs. “So, no. I haven’t bottomed, but I’m very open to the idea.” 

Hoseok’s hand squeezes Jungkook’s ass again, and this time Jungkook lets himself relax into it, pushing back into the pressure. “Can you take these off for me, baby?” he asks quietly, and Jungkook sits up slowly and peels them down his thick thighs. His dick is hard enough that it bobs free. It’s a really, really nice looking dick, and at some point Hoseok is going to ride it, but that’s not where he’s thinking this is going to go tonight. “Come back here.” He tugs Jungkook back to exactly where he was, half draped over Hoseok’s chest, his dick pressed to Hoseok’s hip. Hoseok’s hand slips over Jungkook’s bare ass, and Jungkook shivers against him. He takes it slow, just kneading and petting for a few minutes. Then, “I’m going to touch you, okay?”

“You are touching me,” Jungkook says, a little breathless.

“Okay, but _more_ ,” Hoseok replies, reaching down with his other hand to hook it under Jungkook’s knee, pulling his leg up and over Hoseok’s hips. 

“Oh,” Jungkook shivers as the movement spreads his cheeks apart and the Hoseok can slide the pad of his middle finger over Jungkook’s hole. “O-oh, okay,” Jungkook says, breathless.

“This is sometimes my favorite part, getting opened up,” Hoseok tells him, grinning down at Jungkook’s head on his chest. He rubs the pad of his finger up and over and around Jungkook’s hole until Jungkook starts moving his hips, pushing back against Hoseok’s fingers. “Have you ever touched yourself like this?” Hoseok murmurs into his hair.

“A few times,” Jungkook whispers, his hips stuttering as Hoseok squeezes his ass again.

“Better when someone else is doing it?” Hoseok grins down at him.

“Better when you’re doing it,” Jungkook says plainly, then, “fuck, Seok-hyung, give me more,” and oh, wow. Hoseok’s dick jumps, and Hoseok breathes deeply through his nose for a moment.

“Where’s the lube, Kook-ah?” The words come out a little strained, but Hoseok is proud of himself for being able to understand Jungkook’s wordless gesture toward his nightstand. Hoseok manages to wrestle it open and find the lube one-handed. “Slide up here just a little bit, babe,” he says as he takes his hand away, getting enough lube on his fingers that he hopes the slide will be nice and easy. “Gotta change up the angle to make it work.”

Jungkook uses his hips to slide up Hoseok’s body in a wave. “Oh fuck,” he grits out when his leg brushes past Hoseok’s dick, straining under his briefs. “You’re so hard.” He slides a hand down Hoseok’s stomach and Hoseok grabs his wrist. 

“Please do not do that right now,” he manages to say, even though his dick is really mad at him. 

Hoseok manages to get Jungkook draped over his chest just high enough to slip his hand between his thighs. He starts slow, just the blunt tip of his finger pushing into Jungkook, holding his hand still until Jungkook’s gasps turn to moans. Then he just pushes in and out, a slow back-and-forth that that keeps pace with the little, needy circles Jungkook starts to make with his hips. His dick is pressed between their bodies, and Hoseok knows it’s got to be nearly painful, but Jungkook keeps his hips rolling and rolling. “You want another one?” Hoseok asks gently, once the slide of one finger is wet and easy.

“Uh-huh,” Jungkook manages. He’s a heavy weight on Hoseok’s body by now, but it’s still so, so good, especially when he places open-mouth kisses all along Hoseok’s chest and his neck, using his toes to push up the few extra inches he needs to kiss Hoseok on the mouth as he fingers him open. 

“Okay, just relax for me.” He pushes a second finger just against Jungkook’s hole, waits, waits, waits until he feels the ring of muscle there start to relax and pull him in. He gets a knuckle deep before Jungkook is shaking again, his hips jerking like they don’t know which way they want to go.

“Hoseok,” Jungkook pants against his skin, “fuck.” 

“Breathe, baby, come on,” he says, rubbing his other hand up and over Jungkook’s arm, his shoulder, into his hair. 

Jungkook is great at physical stuff, great at making his body do what he wants, so Hoseok isn’t surprised by how fast he’s pushing back onto Hoseok’s hand, his hips moving in a slower circle this time, but taking Hoseok’s fingers deeper and deeper, until Hoseok can crook his fingers inside and feel Jungkook jolt in his arms. “See, it’s my favorite part,” he says, grinning at Jungkook’s shocked expression. 

“Fuck, hyung, do that again,” he pants, and Hoseok does, letting Jungkook set the pace as he fucks himself onto Hoseok’s fingers, his dick rutting against V of Hoseok’s hip. “Oh my god,” Jungkook says a few moments later. “Oh god, I’m gonna come.”

Hoseok doesn’t slow down at all. He just pulls on Jungkook’s hair a little so they’re kissing again, wet and sloppy kisses that Jungkook whines through, until his whole body goes rigid for a long moment and he’s coming, bursts of heat against Hoseok’s hip.

Hoseok slips his fingers out of Jungkook’s ass and just lays there with him as they both try to catch their breath.

“Oh wow,” Jungkook finally manages. 

“You liked it?” Hoseok asks.

Jungkook blinks up at him. “You’re kidding right?”

Hoseok smiles, and Jungkook kisses him again. 

“Fuck, okay, I’m going to try not to die on the way to the bathroom.”

“Let me -” Hoseok says, but Jungkook is already crawling over him, groaning as he stands up, stretching his arms over his head to work out the kinks. Hoseok loves the sight of him, loves that he helped make Jungkook even more perfect, just a little bit.

“Back in a minute,” he says to Hoseok, smiling over his shoulder as he heads into the hall. 

There are still candles burning on the windowsill, and Hoseok has one sticky hand and nowhere to put it that won’t get Jungkook’s nice bedspread all messy. Or, messier. His own dick twitches as if to remind him that hey, yes, there is something he could be doing with that hand. He reaches down and shimmies his underwear just under the swell of his ass, low enough that most of the shaft of his dick is finally free. He’s so hard, he’s been hard for what seems like hours, and it was worth it for the way Jungkook kissed him as he came, but still. Still. He lets his fingers ghost down the side of dick and sighs in relief.

“Hey, stop that!” Jungkook is standing in the doorway with a washcloth in one hand and a thunderous expression. 

“Sorry?”

“Yes, this one you can be sorry about,” Jungkook grumbles as he climbs back onto the bed. He wipes down Hoseok’s hip and then his fingers, one at a time, with the washcloth, all the while muttering adorably. “I wait months and months to get my hands on you, and you think that you can jerk yourself off while I’m in the _bathroom_?”

“Sorry,” Hoseok says again, but he’s laughing. “I wouldn’t have finished without you,” he reassures Jungkook, patting his head with his now-clean hand. Jungkook tosses the washcloth onto the floor and kisses Hoseok soundly before sliding down his body and settling between his thighs. Hoseok goes up on his elbows. “Are you going to -”

But he doesn’t even finish the question before Jungkook is licking a hot stripe up the side of his dick.

“Okay,” he says, exhaling sharply. Jungkook just laughs before starting to suck long and hard at the head of Hoseok’s dick. He thinks about asking if Jungkook has done this before as well, but the answer is blindingly obvious. Jungkook is very, very skilled at sucking dick, or at least sucking Hoseok’s dick. He’s bucking up off the bed in mere minutes, the anticipation that’s been thrumming through his body since they walked into this room all swirling and settling low in his belly. Jungkook pulls back enough that Hoseok could fuck his mouth if he wanted, the tip of his dick sealed sweetly behind Jungkook’s lips, waiting for him to set the pace. Hoseok groans in frustration. Jungkook pulls off, his hand still jerking Hoseok off in sweet, tight drags. 

“What is it, Hoseok-ah?” he asks seriously. “What do you need?”

“Nothing, ‘s good,” he say, because it is. But Jungkook frowns up at him. 

“Tell me what you _want_ , hyung.”

“Could you,” Hoseok sucks in a breath between his teeth as Jungkook’s thumb hits just the right spot. “Could you hold me down?” he finally asks, his cheeks burning, but Jungkook just grins up at him before leaning his forearm on Hoseok’s pelvis, the corded muscle in his arms standing out as Hoseok tries - and fails - to move at all. “Yeah, holy shit,” Hoseok manages before he can’t make words at all. It wouldn’t have taken long anyway, but Hoseok comes embarassingly fast once Jungkook’s upper body pins Hoseok to the mattress, his hand and mouth doing whatever the fuck they want to Hoseok’s dick.

Jungkook picks up the washcloth from the floor and spits into it discreetly before crawling back up the bed and collapsing against Hoseok’s side. Hoseok manages to keep his eyes open, but just barely. His whole body feels like jello. “You okay?” Jungkook asks him.

Hoseok turns his head to press his nose against Jungkook’s throat. “Mm-hmm,” he replies, arching his back until he can feel everything pop back into place. “You okay?”

Jungkook just grins, tilting his head so they can kiss again. And again.

*

Later, Hoseok comes back from using the bathroom to find Jungkook in his underwear, blowing out the candles. He’s turned off the music, and he’s already picked up Hoseok’s clothes, his pants and jacket hanging neatly on the back of Jungkook’s desk chair next to the door, underwear and shirt folded neatly on top. Jungkook’s back is nearly perfect, a golden expanse of skin. But Hoseok knows if he starts something now, they’ll just fall back into bed. He sighs to himself and pulls on his underwear before reaching for his dress pants. They’re a wrinkled mess, but hey - Hoseok has done the walk of shame in far worse outfits. When he looks back up, Jungkook is staring at him.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting dressed?” Hoseok answers, and Jungkook clenches his jaw, his eyes narrowing. He looks _mad_. 

“Why are you - are you leaving?” he asks, his arms crossing tight over his chest.

Hoseok looks at the pants in his hands, then back at Jungkook. “Yes? I mean, you’re in your underwear? I thought that meant -”

“I can’t sleep naked!” Jungkook practically yells, and Hoseok takes a step back. 

“I only ever sleep naked,” he confesses, and Jungkook uncrosses his arms to put his hands on his hips. 

“Then get your damn underwear back off and come sleep with me, or I swear to god, hyung-”

Hoseok does not have to be told twice. 

He somehow ends up the little spoon, facing the wall with Jungkook pressed up behind him from their shoulders to their calves. Hoseok suspects it’s a little bit on purpose, to keep Hoseok from leaving in the middle of the night. Hoseok threads their fingers together across his stomach. “Sorry about before. I - they don’t usually want me to stay.”

“Well, we have already concluded that they were all _assholes_ , Seok-ah,” Jungkook grumbles behind him.

“I know,” Hoseok sighs, leaning back another inch. He can feel Jungkook’s breath on the back of his neck, then a sweet, tender kiss, right at his hairline. He shivers, and Jungkook does it again.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to make you breakfast,” Jungkook says sleepily and Hoseok can only nod. 

This is so far outside his experience, and he’s still a little worried he’s going to screw it up, but Jungkook seems perfectly happy to let Hoseok be as weird and clingy and teary as he needs to be, so he’s going to try his best. And he’s going to learn to ask questions and not assume he already knows anything. To that end, he takes a deep breath, and then another one, before asking “Hey, Kook?”

“Mmm?” Jungkook hums into his shoulder.

“Does this mean - um. Are you my boyfriend? Like, exclusive?”

Jungkook laughs, pressing his whole face to Hoseok’s shoulder. “I mean, I haven’t been dating anyone but you for two months, so yeah? I think you’re my boyfriend? Only if you want to be.”

“I really, really want to be,” Hoseok manages over the lump in his throat, and Jungkook just sighs happily and holds him close as they both drift off to sleep.

*

Jungkook has been Hoseok’s boyfriend for three weeks (and two months, Jungkook keeps reminding him) and Hyunwoo has finally, gently, demanded an introduction. So he’s brought Jungkook over for Sunday brunch.

“Oh fuck, I should have brought something else. Do they like croissants? I could go back -” Jungkook says mournfully as Hoseok uses his key to let themselves into Hyunwoo and Kihyun’s apartment.

“It’s fine, they’ll love you,” Hoseok tells him for the fourth time, but as they toe off their shoes in the hallway, Hoseok has to admit his stomach is also a little fluttery. 

“Is that you?” Kihyun calls from the kitchen. 

“Yup, we’re here,” Hoseok replies, pulling Jungkook into the living room behind him. Hyunwoo is standing by the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, his face set in that unreadable ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression he likes to put on when he’s unsure. Hoseok wants to hug him.

“Jungkook, this is Hyunwoo, my best friend. Hyunwoo, this is Jungkook, my boyfriend. _Be nice,_ he adds at the end, tangling his fingers with Jungkook’s and squeezing his hand.

“It’s, um. Nice to meet you, Hyunwoo-ssi,” Jungkook says, bowing just a little. “Thank you so much for inviting me. I, uh. I brought scones?” He holds out a small bakery box and Hyunwoo looks from Jungkook to the box to their clasped hands before exhaling sharply. He takes two long steps across the room and Hoseok watches in surprise as he wraps Jungkook in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” Hyunwoo says quietly.

“Um, you’re welcome? They’re just scones,” Jungkook says, eyes wide over Hyunwoo’s shoulder.

“He means for taking care of our Hoseok-ah,” Kihyun says, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel as he comes into the room.

“Oh,” Jungkook says. Hyunwoo finally takes a step back, and Hoseok can see that he’s trying not to cry, and Hyunwoo crying literally _always_ makes Hoseok cry, and this is _terrible_. “I mean, my pleasure?” Jungkook says. “He’s pretty wonderful.” Hyunwoo finally smiles.

“Ugh, you’re disgustingly cute,” Kihyun shakes his head. “What are you, ten? Twelve?”

“Um, twenty?” Jungkook’s eyes are like saucers and Hoseok wraps an arm around his waist and wags a finger accusingly at his friends. 

“What part of ‘be nice to my boyfriend’ was unclear?” he asks. 

“We’re always nice,” Hyunwoo says, and Hoseok just raises his eyebrows. “Okay, we’re usually nice, except when you date jerks.”

“He’s dated so many jerks!” Jungkook jumps in. “How did you not murder all of them?” Hyunwoo blinks at him.

“Well, Hoseok was smart enough not to bring them within four hundred yards of this guy,” Kihyun grins. “Did you know Hyunwoo did a Strongman last year?” he adds, puffed out with pride. “He flipped a car!”

“Oh my god, can you teach me how to flip a car?” Jungkook says, leaning forward excitedly.

Hyunwoo just looks at Hoseok, his eyes suspiciously damp. “Okay, this one can stay.”


End file.
